THE UNBREAKBLE RULE AGAIN ?

THE UNBREAKBLE RULE AGAIN ?

Lian gasped, his eyes widening in horror as he stared at his hand. A digital timer was glowing on his skin, counting down from 72:00:00.

"Saw your hand! It's a timer of three days!" Lian screamed, showing it to the others.

Everyone immediately checked their own hands. Shock spread across their faces.

"What the hell is happening?" Owen muttered.

Mason, however, didn't react like the others. He had already seen this before. He had already lived it—if only in his dreams. But this time, something was different. He clenched his fists, his mind racing.

The level... he thought. The level has changed. And this one is far more difficult than anything I saw in my dream.

Owen noticed Mason's silence. "Mason, do you know something about this?" he asked, his voice urgent. "You've already dreamed about all this, right? You must know what this timer means. If you do, tell us! Maybe we can find an easier way to pass this level."

The players from Earth-121 had been quietly observing their conversation, but their expressions changed the moment Owen mentioned Mason's dreams.

"Wait... what?" One of them whispered.

"Did he just say Mason already saw all of this before?" Another murmured.

Mason's breathing grew heavy. His hands trembled, his face turning pale. His eyes flickered with fear. No... No, no, no... not again...

He remembered the rule. The unbreakable rule.

Would someone from his team die again?

Would he fail to save them once more?

Why was his team the only one trapped in this nightmare?

Mason felt like the walls were closing in around him. His fear was suffocating.

Owen stepped forward, putting a firm hand on Mason's shoulder. "What's wrong? Why do you look so terrified? Did the announcement say something horrible? Why aren't you telling us?"

Mason's eyes flickered to Owen's, then to the others. If he lost control, if he showed his fear, the entire team would crumble. He had to stay strong.

Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to summon his strength. "It's nothing," he said, though his voice was weaker than he'd like. "The timer on our hands is just part of the game. It's there to remind us of the time limit. Nothing else. But…"

He hesitated. Should he tell them?

Should he reveal the unbreakable rule?

"But what, Mason?" Owen pressed. "Complete your sentence."

Before Mason could answer, Luna stepped forward. She had read the same book Mason did. She understood.

"In Mason's dream… and in the book," Luna began, her voice steady, "there was an unbreakable rule. A rule that cannot be broken, no matter what."

The group fell silent.

She continued. "The rule states that the player responsible for clearing the level will die if they fail. But the worst part is…" She swallowed hard. "They cannot clear the level at any cost, because the game is designed to make it impossible."

A heavy silence settled over the team.

Sophie's hands curled into fists. Will I die again? she thought.

Owen's mind raced. What if it's my turn this time?

The players from Earth-121 exchanged anxious glances. They had been afraid before, but now, terror sank into their bones.

Mason knew he had to act. He couldn't let fear consume them.

"I know about the rule," he admitted, stepping forward. "I saw it in my dreams. And also read about it in the book. But—" He raised his voice to make sure everyone heard him clearly. "Everything here is different from my dream. The level design, the structure, even the time limit—it's all changed. In my dream, we didn't have much time. Now, we have three whole days."

He turned to face them fully. "So don't be afraid. Don't lose hope. We'll beat the level."

The fear in their eyes didn't disappear completely, but Mason could see they were holding onto his words.

"The bigger problem," he continued, "is that ten players. And according to what we have heard, five players already been killed from the 25."

A wave of tension rippled through the group.

"There's a high chance that another team is responsible for their deaths. Which means…" Mason's voice grew sharp. "We need to be awair anything can be possible and may be the other players were very much stronger then us and they are not kind as one of the remaining team wiped out the whole team."

Everyone went silent.

"We need a plan," Mason said, regaining control. "And fast."

The Plan

Mason took a deep breath. "Here's what we're going to do."

"We need to complete tasks to collect items." He emphasized the last word, making sure everyone understood its importance. "We also have to finish smaller levels to increase our level. That will make us stronger."

"But we can't all go together," he added. "If we do, we'll be easy targets. Instead, we'll split into teams. Each team will have three players, each with their own unique powers."

The others nodded.

"I'll go alone," Mason said. "I have three powers, so I can handle myself. The rest of you will split into groups like this:

Team 1:

1. Owen

2. SJ11

3. SJ14

Team 2:

1. Lian

2. Sophie

3. SJ12

Team 3:

1. SJ15

2. Luna

3. SJ13

"That way," Mason continued, "we'll have four separate teams, covering more ground. You'll complete levels, gather items, and return here after 12 hours."

He looked at each of them. "Your only goal for now is survival. Increase your level and stay alive. Understood?"

Everyone nodded.

And then, they scattered—each team heading in a different direction. Mason watched them go, then turned his attention to his own mission.

Mason's First Challenge

He opened his game card and selected the "Games" option. A list of possible challenges appeared.

One caught his eye.

Beast Mania

Level: 1

Difficulty: Hard

Objective:

Defeat 50 small beasts

Defeat 25 big beasts

Defeat 10 large beasts

Defeat 1 ultra-large beast

Time limit: 1 hour

Mason's eyebrows furrowed. This is Level One?

It seemed too difficult for a starting level.

He hesitated for only a second before pressing Start.

To be continued…